Restoration and protection of Dugualla Heights Lagoon was identified as a priority in the
Skagit Chinook Recovery Plan (page 216 in SRSC & WDFW 2005) because of its
importance to early rearing of wild fry migrant Chinook salmon originating from the
Skagit River. In 2009 the area was protected with a conservation easement and a
restoration feasibility study was funded by Washington State’s Salmon Recovery
Funding Board (SRFB), with the project’s sponsor being the Whidbey Camano Land
Trust
Restoration concepts at Dugualla Heights include improvement of tidal connectivity and
fish passage to the lagoon from Skagit Bay.
As part of the feasibility study, the Skagit River System Cooperative Research Program is
responsible for presenting a report to Whidbey Camano Land Trust describing fish use of
the study area before restoration. The objective of beach seining at Dugualla Heights in
2011 was to collect data on the fish assemblage, including juvenile salmon, present in the
waters of Dugualla Heights Lagoon and shoreline areas of Skagit Bay near the outlet of
the lagoon. Data from this monitoring effort are used to document fish species
composition and relative fish abundance prior to any restoration completed at this site.
Pre-restoration project fish results serve as a basis for measuring the response of the fish
community to restoration at Dugualla Heights
Beamer, E., Brown, B. and Wolf, K., 2011. Juvenile salmon and nearshore fish use in shallow intertidal habitat associated with Dugualla Heights Lagoon, 2011. Skagit River System Cooperative, La Conner, WA. pp. 13.
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